Micro Space News Update

Richard P. Speck (President Micro Space) told me in an email that their web site is crude, but it does show some of their progress. they haven’t pushed for publicity, cause they have very limited manpower to answer mail (they have 5 part time employees).

He also posted a forum reply over here:He wrote:
Micro-Space continues our space launch development. We announced the twelfth flight of our liquid fueled rocket system in September, 2004. We believe that only three XPRIZE teams have FLOWN rockets using even one liquid fuel component: Armadillo Aerospace, Scaled Composites and Micro-Space. We have produced a quantity of liquid fuel motors sufficient to begin manned flight tests, “if and when”.

No practical location exists for test flights of these vehicles. The proposed “Southwest Regional Spaceport”, in New Mexico, is beginning preliminary paperwork (not construction). Only one team (Scaled Composites) ever proposed following “the X-1 development plan”, using only manned tests, and starting with manned glide tests from a mother ship. FAA licensing for UNMANNED tests, as proposed by all other teams, is a very different matter. A location where these tests can be conducted, and where insurance is affordable, has not been identified. The first such site may well be outside the US, and capture this embryonic industry.

While we applaud the X Prize efforts and success, the follow on plan is too nebulous to seriously discuss. Even if additional vehicles can be tested, and perfected, FAA licensing of competitive space flights, with spectator crowds, is hard to imagine.

Returning to our own efforts, our modular approach – now focused on a single occupant – has the lowest total development cost to reach any altitude, orbital, suborbital or interplanetary. Unmanned tests will continue to be conducted, and will provide flight opportunities for those lacking NASA sized budgets.